When I was younger, I did have a bike and rode it around a lot. I also have a swimming pool here and spend a good hour or two out in it during the summer months. My GI doctor is requesting I lose 5 to 10 percent of my body weight and wants me to exercise for 5 times a week for 30 minutes. At my last weigh in I was 286.
I was planning on picking up the bike idea again, and just watching aerobic exercise
vids on Youtube and doing them out in the living room or my room. I have found 30 minute videos, and can break them up into 10-15 minutes if wished to.
When first diagnosed in 1990, I tried Swimming, Jogging, biking and just could not stick with any of those for more than a few months. Then tried outdoor inline skating and that was so enjoyable that I have never stopped. Until I was 65, I got up to 20 miles per day during workweek and 50 miles a day on weekends for a total of 200 miles per week. It was so much fun that I got into Worldwide inline marathons early on and did quite well. At 65, I stopped the marathons and reduced skating to warm sunny days and at 70 cut back to only skate on weekends and skate 25 miles Sat/Sun for a total of 50 miles per week.
Inline skating gave me far better blood glucose control than any other exercise and was easy on the body. On the local bike path, joggers tend to stop jogging when joints hurt, then cycle and stop when that also becomes uncomfortable on joints. Inline skating is easy on the joints, does a wonderful job at helping control blood glucose as you can skate in aerobic or anerobic range or a combination of both. What is even more important as we get older is that we start having balance issues. Inline skating does a great job of helping with overall balance. In general terms, I have found that 80 minutes of bicycling is about equivalent to 40 minutes of inline skating which is about equivalent to 20 minutes of jogging.
@CJ114 – I’ve never tried inline skating and your post intrigues me. My city sidewalks include a lot of concrete slab discontinuities. Do these “bumps” cause any problems? Seems like if you don’t compensate by stepping over the one or two inch cliffs, then that could lead to falling. Is this a non-issue?
Inline skating is sort of like diabetic control and needs to be taken 1 baby step at a time. Learning to fall without losing a bunch of skin on skates at high speed takes time. You get pretty good over time at jumping over obstacles including bumps, tree limbs, etc. You can start on a carpeted surface in your home just walking around on skates until comfortable. Then go outside on a flat surface and learn to stop. Then learn to ditch in grass instead of asphalt/concrete when possible. Every time you conquer a new element inline skating, you get an incredible “high” from your accomplishment. I think that is part of what makes it so much fun and the time just flies by.
Part of the answer in negotiating bigger and bigger road defects is to graduate to skates with at least 100 mm wheels. Learning on 78/80 mm wheels, however, is easier.
Just please use helmet, and wrist guards at a minimum. Additional knee pads, elbow pads etc. are especially helpful at first and keep your body from getting scrapes as you learn. You will also be totally blown away at how long your blood sugar normalizes after 20 minutes or more of skating.
Hiking, biking, and HIIT have been the best types of workouts for me on the endurance side. Biking is just a lot harder (if you live in a hilly town like I do) than most people realize, and just biking to and from work during the spring and summer can be quite a lot of exercise! I do as much hiking/mountaineering as I can, given my work and family commitments, and that is the best workout I’ve found, period.
If I’m travelling, or get stuck working too much etc. I have to get off my behind and get my heart rate up at least once a day. A 30-45 minute BRISK walk fits the bill when I don’t have time for anything else. If I can find a good walking route to “open it up” and maintain a pace of 3 1/2 to 4 miles per hour it does me a world of good. A good walking route for this means not too many streets to cross, uncongested sidewalks or paths and not too many tripping hazards.
I’ve found that going up and down a few flights of stairs is very effective in leveling or lowering my BG when it’s on the rise after a high-carb meal. I work in an office building where this is an accessible and convenient exercise. Ten minutes or so of going up and down stairs seems to help me a lot.
I agree with @CJ114, inline skating is excellent aerobic activity. Besides being aerobic, it also builds lean muscle. Look at the competitive figure ice skaters, and you will get a good idea of the physique one can encourage through inline skating
Yes, wrist guards are a MUST! Try to avoid pathways which are prone to be cluttered w/ debris like gravel.
Women on the trails often verbally comment on my gorgeous legs. I am sure when their eyes drift from the back of my legs upwards they are sorely disappointed.
Before I developed a hip problem, I used to skate at an indoor rink. I used quad skates, meaning four wheels on each skate. I learned some of the simple dances and enjoyed the company of fellow skaters. It also didn’t matter if it was raining, snowing or 100 degrees in the shade outside!
The rink I used had special daytime sessions intended for retired people or those with flexible schedules. Regular evening sessions are NOT a good idea because there are large crowds with skaters cutting in and out around you.
Almost no one ever wore a helmet, but wrist guards were worn by a number of us.
I am sure when their eyes drift from the back of my legs upwards they are sorely disappointed.